NEW British passport designs with King Charles’ updated Coat of Arms are to be rolled out this year.
From December, the new Coat of Arms will replace the current Queen Elizabeth II version.
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The design features four UNESCO-protected landscapes of each UK region.
This includes Ben Nevis (Scotland), Lake District (England), Three Cliffs Bay (Wales) and Giant’s Causeway (Ireland).
The new passport will also have new technology built into them with improved anti-forgery designs.
This includes upgraded holographs and translucent features within the pages, making them harder to forge or tamper with.
Each page will also have a unique passport number built in using laser marking.
The UK government claim this makes it the “most secure British passport ever made”.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp said: “The introduction of His Majesty’s Arms, iconic landscapes, and enhanced security features marks a new era in the history of the British passport.
“It also demonstrates our commitment to outstanding public service – celebrating British heritage while ensuring our passports remain among the most secure and trusted in the world for years to come.”
Blue passports with the current Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth II are still valid until the expiry date.
The modern-style of British passport was first introduced in 1915, which were also navy.
The then were changed to burgundy in line with the EU, before the current navy passports were rolled back out in 2020.
Parts of the passport have already been updated, including saying they are authorised by “His Majesty’s Passport Office”.
Despite this, millions of Brits still have the previous burgundy passports.
These are still permitted for use until they expire.
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But there are new rules in place that were introduced when the UK left the EU.
Since Brexit, any additional months on top of the 10 year validity of passports are no longer accepted.
This has resulted in thousands of families being banned from their flights due to new rules since they were first issued.
Families are urged to check that their expiry date matches their start date.
If it does not, then you should disregard the expiry and instead add on 10 years to the start date to find the correct date it expires.
Here are the other passport rules you need to be aware of.
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